Attaining Information Through Annoyance
by javamoose
Summary: In where Leo Valdez is interrupted of his nightly training because of a peculiar noise coming from the restroom next door. One-shot.


Leo has barely slept since their fall into Tartarus. Rather than sleeping, he occupies himself doing unnecessary repairs around the ship or training on his own in his room. He knows that the others are aware of this, but he doesn't care. He pays no attention to Hazel's chastising or Piper's charm spoken reassurances that it wasn't his fault. Even Frank's tried to intervene, but all Leo had to do to get him off his neck was set his thumb on fire; Frank ran out and didn't bother him again. When Jason tried talking to him, Leo simply glared at him in response. Jason seemed unfazed at the time, but Leo guesses his coldness must've affected him because Jason stopped bugging him as well. Even the old satyr has been bugging him! Coach Hedge once went so far so as to hoist him up over his shoulder and throw Leo into his bedroom. The only person who doesn't bug him is Hazel's brother.

They don't understand. They don't understand just how much this whole thing had been his fault. They don't get that if he hadn't opened that fortune cookie Annabeth and Percy would still be here. Hazel constantly tells him that he did so to save hers and Frank's life, but that doesn't justify it. He should've figured out a way to save Hazel and Frank without the help of Nemesis.

Besides the guilt that consumes his every hour, there are the nightmares. Oh, the nightmares are the absolute worst.

As soon as he slips into subconsciousness, he sees them. He sees them in millions of made up scenarios-at least he hopes they're just from a creative imagination, but who is he kidding, dreams are prophetic for demigods.

He can't stand seeing what he does when his eyes are shut. The last dream-nightmare-he had of the two had Percy sprawled on the ground in a pool of his own blood, with Annabeth battling some beast he's never even heard of before. That in itself should be horrifying enough, but then there's their physical conditions. Both their faces are gaunt and skeleton like, much how Nico looks now. A good chunk of Annabeth's golden locks have been chopped off, her hair doesn't even look blonde anymore. In his dreams she still has that broken ankle and always has some new bruise showing up in her face or arms, and those are only her uncovered regions. Who's to say how she must look under the tatters that are her clothes, how many scars she must have across her back and abdomen.

_Stop it Leo, stop thinking about that, focus on the present, focus on the future, focus on fixing what you screwed up, _he tells himself, punching the sack of flour hanging from his room, he'd bought it in their last stop hundreds of miles ago. He needs to build biceps if he plans on closing the Doors on his own from the inside.

An entire hour passes without a negative thought blemishing Leo's mind when he hears the hurried steps run past his room and the bathroom door slam. He stops and looks over at the clock by his bed, it's three in the morning. Leo shrugs and starts punching at the sack again, but stops again when he hears retching.

Okay, not normal.

Leo walks over to his bedroom door and presses his ear against it, he believes that he might be able to identify the person in the bathroom by the way they puke alone. Obviously, that fails.

The retching stops but the person doesn't come out, after an internal debate that lasts ten seconds, he decides to go in.

He swings the door open and steps into the dark corridor. He knocks tentatively at the bathroom door, but there's no response, the retching sounds start up again.

_That's it, I'm going in. _

He turns the door knob and is initially blinded by the bright light of the bathroom, geez, every light in the room must be turned on. Though he's blinded, he hears a giant ruckus ensue. He hears someone fall and the shower curtains go down with the person, a scraping noise against the floor. Leo's sure he's waken everybody aboard the Argo II.

When his vision finally clears he finds himself facing a hyperventilating Nico di Angelo pointing a sword at him...with his eyes shut tight.

"Um...Nico?"

He doesn't hear Leo evidently, the Stygian blade shakes violently in his hands.

"Hey bro, are you okay?"

Leo doesn't get a response, but he closes the door behind him so as not to wake the others.

"Earth to Nico di Angelo!" He shouts.

Thankfully it works; Nico's eyes snap open and he let's go of his sword. He scrambles in the shower to stand up, but keeps on slipping until Leo offers him his arm for support.

Leo's alarmed by how badly he shakes and by how badly Nico's failing at hiding his hyperventilating. With his foot, Leo lowers the toilet cover and has Nico sit on it.

"Dude, what's wrong?"

Leo takes a look at the boy and Nico appears almost naked without his Aviators jacket.

Then Leo realizes why he's always wearing it.

Jagged scarsfill both his arms, along with some ugly blue bruises.

He also realizes for the first time that the boy's crying.

Nico doesn't answer Leo's inquiry, rather he covers his mouth and breathes heavily into it, shuddering throughout it all.

"Um...should I call Hazel or-"

"No!" The boy nearly screeches, and makes Leo jump back. Nico shakes his head, "Don't wake her up, she's exhausted leave her alone."

Leo holds his hands up, "Okay, I won't wake her up, but you have to tell me what has you so freaked out."

"It-it doesn't matter," His voice is muffled, he has his hands over his face again, "Go back to sleep, leave me alone."

Leo almost does leave him, but he sees the goosebumps all across his arms. No, he can't just leave him alone like this.

Nico peeks behind his hands and cold fury take over his features, "I said to _leave me alone!_"

Leo crosses his arm over his chest, "No."

Nico stands up so suddenly that Leo stumbles back into the wall, getting Nico's desired affect. Nico gets in his face and hisses, "I said to leave me alone, Valdez. Go back to bed."

Leo tries to hide his annoyance over the fact that this kid is two years younger than him and yet just as tall.

"_No._" Leo reiterates. He knows that the only way he's going to win this is through annoying the information out of Nico.

"Can't you please-"

"No."

"Le-"

"No."

"Can you please stop-"

"No."

"Seriously-" His voice is cracking.

"No."

Leo nearly feels guilt when he sees Nico's eyes start filling with frustrated tears, but convinces himself that he's doing this for the boy's own good. All the fight in Nico evaporates and his shoulders sink. His broken eyes eclipses the facade he's been putting on and a sadness so great engulfs Nico that it affects Leo too.

"Hey man, I just want to help you. Talk to me."

Nico's hands shakes again. He focuses on a spot in the ceiling as he talks, "It's nothing. I'm just being overdrama-"

"Stop downplaying what's happening and tell me what's wrong." Leo's voice comes out sterner than he intends it to.

He takes in a shuddering breath, "I can't sleep, I'm just really tired."

Leo raises his eyebrows, "That really doesn't explain why I heard someone throwing up in here and why you are shaking like a leaf."

He sighs, and looks to the floor. "I'm just...I got messed up in Tartarus, okay?"

Leo narrows his eyes. "Explain."

Nico leans against the door and tilts his face upwards. In an exhausted voice, he starts, "I can't sleep because I'm terrified of the dark, I'm scared that at any given moment a monster's going to pop out of nowhere. I have...nightmares. Nightmares so bad and so vivid, I act-actually feel t-talons dig into my sk-skin," He's hyperventilating again. "And I h-hate that I'm aware that it's irrational and childish t-to think that a Sphinx is going to pop out from under my bed when I turn off the light, and that being aware doesn't fix it, I'm still te-terrified. It's so...And then I have these panic attacks, and they're so bad and..."

Somewhere in the middle of his explanation he's started sobbing, but he still powers through it with his words. Leo shakes his head in disbelief, has this been happening ever since he got on board the ship? Has it been happening since before it? Has Nico really been dealing with this on his own?

"...And please don't tell Hazel, she has enough on her plate, she doesn't need to deal with her mental brother. If this mess with Gaea is ever over, I'll go get help, I know mortals have therapy for this and I'll get it I promise, but please don't tell Hazel, Leo, please don't."

"Hey, it's okay man. I won't tell her, don't worry about it." Leo reassures him, without his even realize it, he brings out his arms and pulls Nico into a hug.

Nico stands with his arms sticking to his sides, but eventually wraps his arms around Leo. He cries silently into Leo's shirt, still shaking, but not as bad as before.

"Just promise to knock at my door whenever it gets bad, okay? You shouldn't be dealing with this crap on your own, just find me." Leo struggles to find the right wording for what he's saying, but everything he comes up with sounds creepy. He goes for it anyways, "You can stay at my room if you want, I hardly sleep, I can...I can make sure no sphinx pops out from under the bed when you sleep."

Just then, there's a knock at the door.

Nico pulls away from Leo and wipes the snot off his face

"Shit," Nico whispers.

"This is going to be awkward."

The knocking continues.

"Uh, I'm pooping, go away," Leo shouts.

Nico narrows his eyes and raises his eyebrows, he mouths, "_Pooping?_"

Leo shrugs.

"Get the heck out of there, Valdez. I see the silhouettes of your feet in front of the door. Now open the door I need to pee!" Piper demands, in that cranky way she always does when she's just woken up.

He shares a glance with Nico and flushes the toilet. Before Nico can stop him, Leo swings the door open and hugs Piper, pulling her view away from the restroom.

"You're a good friend, you know that Beauty Queen?" He says, motioning with his hand for Nico to run for it, and he obliges. He mouths a thank you and-Leo can't help but be shocked by it-stifles a laugh at the situation Leo's gotten himself into.

"Yeah, you're a good friend too, now can I please use the restroom?" She grumbles, in obvious annoyance.

He waits until he sees Nico close the door shut in his room.

"Yeah sure, later Pipes. Enjoy the joys of urinating."


End file.
